Yogasanas, Bandha and Kriyli 119
This is called Khechari'. By this practice there is neither fainting, nor
hunger, nor thirst, nor laziness. There comes neither disease, nor decay,
nor death. The body becomes divine.')
(Nada is the inner mystical sound. Verses 79 to 101 of the fourth
chapter describes it in great detail with a variety of similes. Yoga is
defined as control over the aberrations of the mind. In order to control
the mind it is necessary that it should first be absorbed in concentration
of some object, then it is gradually withdrawn from that object and made
to look within one's own self. This is where the yogi is asked to con
centrate upon the inner mystical sounds. 'The mind is like a serpent,
forgetting all its unsteadiness by hearing Nada, it does not run away
anywhere.' Gradually as Nada becomes latent so does the mind along
with it. 'The fire, catching the wood, is extinguished along with it
(after burning it up) ; and so the mind also, working with Nada, becomes
latent along with it.')
Technique
- Sit on the floor, with legs stretched straight in front. (Plate 77)
- Bend the left leg at the knee. Hold the left foot with the hands, place
the heel near the perineum and rest the sole of the left foot against
the right thigh.
3· Now bend the right leg at the knee and place the right foot over the
left ankle, keeping the right heel against the pubic bone.
4· Place the sole of the right foot between the thigh and the calf of the
left leg.
5· Do not rest the body on the heels.
- Stretch the arms in front and rest the back of the hands on the knees
so that the palms face upwards. Join the thumbs and the forefingers
and keep the other fingers extended. (Plate 8 4)
7· Hold this position as long as you can, keeping the back, neck and head
erect and the vision indrawn as if gazing at the tip of the nose.
8. Release the feet and relax for some time. Then repeat the pose for
the same length of time, now placing the right heel near the perineum
first and then the left foot over the right ankle as described above.
Effects
This posture keeps the pubic region healthy. Like Padmasana (Plate
104), it is one of the most relaxing of asanas. The body being in a sitting
posture is at rest, while the position of the crossed legs and erect back
